


Downfall Down Under

by Usagisama68



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Australia, Crack, Don't get them confused, Drop bears are terrifying, Hyrule is oblivious, Koalas are cute, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), The Links have no idea what they're getting into, weekly prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:14:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26111713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Usagisama68/pseuds/Usagisama68
Summary: “Oh yeah, everything tries to kill you in our world.”Of course, it was an exaggeration. They probably meant that there were so many monsters roaming about it seemed like they were constantly under attack. At least, that’s what he had thought. They had all teased the duo, but while Legend spluttered and snarked back at them, the traveller had looked utterly bewildered by their laughter.They were joking.They were supposed to have been joking....They weren’t joking.(Written for the weekly prompt on the LU discord: "Downfall Timeline but it’s Australia")
Comments: 40
Kudos: 301





	Downfall Down Under

The ‘downfall’ timeline, as they were calling it, was something of a sensitive topic among their group. Not surprising, since its entire existence hinged on one of their own dying and failing his mission.

So those two never spoke much about the state of their world, except in hushed whispers late at night when most of the camp was asleep. His respect for the others stopped him from asking, but an aching curiosity continued to grow in Twilight as he observed the two heroes. 

Legend and Hyrule. They were as different as night and day; one brash and aloof, guarding secrets under carefully tamed thorns; the other open and gentle, but with a fire that put Din’s might to shame. 

Yet for all their differences, the downfall heroes were similar in the oddest of ways. They refused to touch anything they didn't recognise, be it animal or plant, and stared with barely concealed horror whenever one of them (usually Wild) tried to examine the local flora and fauna. 

When visiting Sky’s world early on in their adventure, he had spotted a beautiful beetle-like creature with delicate wings that shone iridescent in the morning sunlight. The chosen hero had no idea what it was, so Twilight had readied himself to catch it for examination. Agitha would never have let him hear the end of it if he didn’t at least try to get a closer look.

But a strong hand had grabbed his collar and yanked him backwards as he was about to pounce. “What are you doing?!” Hyrule had hissed, wide eyes following the delicate little creature as it startled and flew away. “Why would you touch it?”

Twilight remembered staring uncomprehendingly as the traveller crossed his arms and chastised him in a tone that failed to hide his concern. “Don’t go grabbing random insects and animals, especially if you have no idea what they are! That’s like the first ru-”

“Roolie, it’s fine.” Legend placed a hand on the younger hero’s shoulder and began to steer him away. Hyrule had looked like he was about to say something, before the veteran whispered to him in hushed tones and the other physically deflated. Hyrule had apologised later that night, but the bizarre event had definitely left an impression, and not just because it was so out of character. 

Still, the only hint he had about this mystery was an offhand comment made around the campfire at the beginning of their journey, before they realised the horrific truth of the time split.

“Oh yeah, everything tries to kill you in our world.” 

Of course, it was an exaggeration. They probably meant that there were so many monsters roaming about it seemed like they were constantly under attack. At least, that’s what he had thought. They had all teased the duo, but while Legend spluttered and snarked back at them, the traveller had looked utterly bewildered by their laughter. 

They were joking. 

They were _supposed_ to have been joking.

...

They weren’t joking. 

* * *

“Wild stop!” Hyrule’s frantic voice cut through the camp and caused the other hero to freeze in his tracks. The cook’s hand was hovering inches away from a small snail half buried in the sand. “What are you doing?!” 

“What’s wrong? I was seeing what types of snails you have. It might be useful for making elixirs. Why?” Wild was looking completely bewildered at Hyrule’s panicked command, and from the looks of it the others they felt the same way.

Well, except Legend. The veteran hero stalked forward to place a reassuring hand on Hyrule’s shoulder before turing to glare at Wild. 

“That’s a cone snail you idiot. Do you want to kill yourself?”

“Wait, isn’t it just a harmless snail?” Wind piped up as he crouched in the sand to get a better look. He seemed like he was about to poke it before Legend grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. 

“ _Your_ snails might be harmless, but this thing has enough poison to easily kill a full grown Hylian, let alone a pipsqueak like you.” 

“Hey!” 

“Say ‘Rule…” Warriors laughed nervously. “He’s just messing with us, right? I mean, a little _snail_ isn’t going to kill us.”

“Nope, don’t worry.” Hyrule quietly responded. The rest of them only had a second to relax before he continued. “My magic or a really strong potion can keep the worst effects away and stop it from killing you, so you won’t die from it. But it still wouldn’t be pleasant. At all.” 

The traveller gave them a sweet smile, completely oblivious to the looks of horror that crossed the others faces. Even the old man was eyeing the tiny- _deadly_ \- creature with well-concealed nerves.

 _Everything is out to kill you_. Maybe there was more truth to that statement than originally thought. 

Hylia, have mercy. 

* * *

“AHHHHHHHH” 

The loud and high-pitched scream tore through the lazy morning atmosphere of the camp. Warriors jumped into the air and scrambled half-way across the clearing, not caring that his scarf was being dragged behind him through the dirt.

“What’s wrong?” asked Time, eye narrowed as he scanned the surrounding forest for dangers. 

Warriors swallowed and shook his head, before pointing a shaky finger towards his pack. 

Sitting innocently atop his bedroll was the largest spider Twilight had ever seen. It was bigger than his hand and, though he’d always quite liked spiders, his heart skipped a beat. 

_Monster_ , his mind supplied, and he reached for his sword ready for a battle. 

“What are you freaking out about?” Legend watched the scene with barely hidden mirth, raising an eyebrow at Warrior’s pale face. “It’s just a Huntshylian spider. With the way you were screaming I thought we were under attack.” 

“Just a spider?!” The captain squeaked. “That thing jumped out at me! It’s huge!” 

“Pfft it’s harmless. Hey Roolie, think you can get rid of it?” 

“I’m already on it.” 

The others looked on in horror and respect as Hyrule grabbed a stick and began coaxing the massive creature away from their campsite. He seemed unusually calm, considering the monster he was herding away. Once he was satisfied, he turned to the rest of them with a gentle and understanding smile. 

“They look scary, but Huntshylian spiders aren’t anything to worry about. They do have a tendency to hide in unexpected places though, so keep an eye out.”

“Duly noted.” Warriors muttered through flushed cheeks.

So the tiny snail was deadly but the giant spider was harmless?

That’s it. They were doomed.

* * *

Twilight's ears twitched as the quiet _snap_ of a branch echoed above him. Normally he wouldn’t pay it much mind, but he had learnt to never make that mistake in this world. 

His eyes nervously scanned the treeline, searching the outline of a mons- _animal_. The other noticed his distraction and slowed down, turning to him in curiosity and not a small amount of apprehension. 

“What is it Twi...?” Wild asked, following the older heroes gaze into the branches.

Wind glanced about anxiously and discretely moved closer to Warriors, who was similarly pale. Even Sky seemed on edge, and while Time was ignoring them it was impossible to deny the tension in his shoulders.

 _Snap._ There it was again!

“Why have you stopped?” Seven heads snapped to the front of their party where Hyrule and Legend were watching them with bemusement and, on the part of the veteran, mild aggravation. “We need to hurry if we want to get to the town before nightfall.”

“There’s something in the trees!” Wind blurted out, running up to the pair and pointing to where they had all heard the noise. 

Twilight had expected the same reaction as usual; a roll of the eyes, confused laughter and a reassurance that _“there’s lots of stuff in the trees, but they should leave us alone''_ as if that was even the slightest bit comforting instead of horrifying. 

Whatever their reaction, Hyrule and Legend had always been on the same wavelength about what they should and shouldn’t worry about in this world. So, when the veteran’s face paled and his eyes darted to the treetops in frantic searching, they expected Hyrule to be the same. 

Instead, the younger hero’s expression lit up as he scanned the skyline with nothing short of excitement. After a few seconds, he gasped happily and pointed to an area mostly obscured by thick green leaves. “There!”.

Two dark eyes stared back at them through a gap in the foliage. They were framed by fluffy grey fur and big round ears as whatever it was clung idly to a tree branch. The animal blinked cutely at them, causing the tension in the group to unwind the longer they watched the seemingly docile creature.

Hyrule turned to them once more and smiled softly. “This is the first time I’ve seen one of these in this area. Ganon’s influence drove a lot of creatures out of their natural homes and almost to extinction. Now that he’s gone they must be coming back!” 

His delight was infectious and any lingering nerves the others might have had were evaporated. 

“That’s great to hear.” TIme said, smiling fondly at the younger hero. 

Hyrule nodded enthusiastically and walked closer to the creature. “Let me introduce you to one of my favourite animals, the koa-”

“Get away from it!” 

Legend’s panicked voice pierced through the relaxed atmosphere. He lunged forward and yanked Hyrule back by his tunic, ignoring the startled yelp he got in response as he raised his arm as if to physically block his predecessor from harm. 

The veteran hero looked more shaken than Twilight had ever seen him; his face was ashen and his lips twisted into a tight frown as he stared daggers at the animal above them. The sun reflected unevenly off the shaking sword in front of him.

“Legend I- What’s going on?!” Hyrule spluttered from the ground. “It’s just a-” 

“I could ask you that!” Legend hissed back, not taking his eyes off the creature. It blinked absently at him and continued munching on the leaves. “Why were you getting so close to it?!” 

“Because it’s harmless?” The traveller seemed utterly confused by the entire situation. 

“ _Harmless!?_ ” Legend sounded like he was about to burst into hysterical laughter. “That’s a _drop bear!”_

“A wha-” Hyrule got to his feet and sent Legend an incredulous look. “What are you talking about? Drop bears aren’t real!” 

“Then what do you call _that_?”

“It’s a koala! They’re docile.” 

“If it’s docile then _why does it look like a drop bear?!”_

A slow realisation dawned in Hyrule’s eyes as they continued to argue. 

“Wait, you’ve actually seen real drop bears?”

“Of course I have! Those things have given me enough scars-”

“Guys...” Sky’s calming voice broke through the chaos. “I don’t know what’s going on, but should we be worried about…?” His eyes flicked to the adorable... whatever it was. 

“Yes!” “No!”

“Right…” Sky sighed. “There’s a misunderstanding somewhere here.” 

“No, I think I get it.” Hyrule turned back to Legend with a sheepish smile. “Drop bears are considered old folk tales in my time. So-” he continued quickly before Legend could interrupt him again. “-if you say you’ve seen them, they must have gone extinct sometime since then.”

Legend squinted suspiciously at the offending creature. “So it’s not a drop bear?” 

“Nope! They’re actually really lovely creatures.” 

“...I’ll take your word for it.”

* * *

“So let me get this straight.” 

Fours voice piped up as they all continued retreating through the thick underbrush. 

“It sometimes gets so hot in your world that things randomly catch on fire?”

“Yes.”

“And we’re leaving now to outrun a massive...what did you call it?”

“A bushfire.” 

“Yeah, that. Which occurred because, again, the weather was _too hot_?”

“Pretty much. But this area is prone to them, which is why there aren’t many settlements around here.”

“ _What is wrong with your world.”_

* * *

This timeline was incredibly dangerous. More so than any of their other worlds, and that was without counting the monsters roaming about. But for the first time since arriving here, Twilight could also admit that this land was beautiful. 

He kicked the flippered boots of his zora armour and propelled himself closer to the sea floor. Shades of ruby mixed with bursts of topaz next to fields of sapphires and dazzling emeralds. Bright fish darted around him, their odd shapes and spectacular patterns a sight to behold. 

He didn’t know it was possible for creatures of the natural world to be so colourful! To think, this was all hidden beneath the surface where only a few were able to venture. 

Sky grinned brightly as he followed a school of tiny fish around the - what did Legend call this again? A ‘coral reef’? Twilight knew a similar smile was stretched across his own face as he took in the magnificent views around him. Even the old man was failing to hide the spark of wonder in his eyes. 

The others on the surface had no idea what they were missing. 

A burst of activity flared around him as fish of all shapes and sizes darted away or dived into the shelter of the corals. He shared a bemused look and nod with Sky before they both swam over to where Time was squinting into the distance. 

Twilight tried to follow his gaze but - wait, what was that? A rapidly darkening shadow was swimming lazily in their direction. As it got closer, it’s features began to sharpen into those of a fish.

A really big fish. 

A really big fish _with razor sharp teeth-_

An explosion of bubbles spun around them as they all scrambled to grab their weapons in preparation for an intense battle. Hyrule had said there were no monsters in this area! 

The beast was almost upon them now. They all braced themselves, tightened their grip on their blades and- 

It passed them without a second glance. 

Twilight didn’t take his eye off the massive creature until it was out of sight completely. Was this some kind of trick? Why would such a huge and terrifying monster just ignore them? 

He thinks he may have had enough exploring for one day. 

(“Why didn’t you tell us there were monsters down there!”)

(“Monsters? There aren’t any.”)

(“Then what do you call the giant fish with teeth bigger than my finger?”)

(“Giant fish…? Oh! You mean the sharks. They’re not monsters, just animals.”)

(“ _Just animals?!_ ”) 

(“It’s the jellyfish you need to watch out for.”)

(“Are they monsters?”)

(“No, but they’re more likely to kill you.”)

* * *

“~ _Row row row your boat, gently down the stream. If you see a crocodile, don’t forget to scream~”_

An old raft drifted slowly along the bank of a murky river. It dipped and swayed ominously as it struggled to bear the weight of them all crammed together. Hyrule didn’t seem to mind as he sang happily under his breath, his peaceful expression a stark contrast to the horror of his song. 

The traveller paused in his humming when he noticed seven wide eyed expressions directed his way.

“What?” 

“D-Do we even want to know what a crocodile is?”

“Huh? Oh! Don’t worry, it’s just a song. The crocodiles usually leave people alone, so we probably don’t have anything to worry about.” 

He was starting to hate that word. Saying that something _probably_ won’t kill you was about as reassuring as saying Ganon _might_ return. 

“...if you tell me crocodiles are another one of your killer fish I’m going to lose it.” 

“Well, I mean, technically they’re reptiles-”

“ _Hyrule, I swear to Hylia-_ ”

* * *

_Hisssssssss_

Twilight groaned and pushed his face out of the dirt. No matter how many times they were thrown through between worlds, it never made the landing any easier. And it was night time. Just great. 

“Rough landing?” asked Wild, offering him a hand. The cook had never been affected much by the portals. Something about being used to teleporting; it was maybe the only time Twilight envied his magi- _technology._

_Hisssssssss_

“When is it not?” He chuckled and accepted the help up. “Does anyone know where we are?”

A chorus of ‘not mine’ rang throughout the group. The only two who didn’t respond were-

Oh no. 

_Hissssssss_

“Is this mine or yours?” asked Hyrule. 

“I’m not sure.” The veteran began scanning the dark sky. “It’s hard to tell at night, and I’m guessing this place hasn’t changed much since my time.”

“Yeah, it’s remained pretty much untouched for centuries as far as I know. No-one would come here willingly.”

Wait, what? 

_Hissssssss_

“Does anyone else hear whispering?” Wind asked, nervously glancing at the surrounding trees. 

Actually, now that he mentioned it-

_Hissssssss_

Hyrule and Legend ignored them and continued talking. 

“How far inland do you think we are? Do you think we could make it to the shore safely?” 

“...I doubt it, we’re surrounded by the forest completely. It’ll be impossible to travel far at all without running into trouble.”

“Um, guys…? What are you talking about?”

Legend didn’t pay Sky any mind and instead turned to the leader of their group. 

_Hissssssss_

“Hey old man, how many health potions do we have left?” 

Time frowned in concern but seemed to be thinking the question over. “Only five, we used up a lot in that last fight. Why?” 

Legend swore impressively under his breath before turning back to Hyrule. “Do you think that will be enough if we also use your healing magic?” 

The traveller pondered his words for a second before his ears drooped in resignation. 

Okay, what was going on?!

_Hissssssss_

“No, it’s not nearly enough. We’d need at least twice that to travel. But-” he stared at the rest of them in consideration. “-it should be enough as long as we stay here and don’t move until the next switch.”

“Boys.” A stern voice caused the both of them to pause and turn towards the old man. He sighed and pinched his nose as if to stave off an oncoming headache. “Would you mind filling the rest of us in on what’s going on?” 

The culprits shared a glance that spoke a thousand words before Hyrule tentatively spoke up. 

“Well, the good news is we know where we are. But-” 

_Hissssssss_

“-we’re surrounded and can’t really move from this spot.”

At this the others all straightened and reached for their weapons. Warriors began scanning their dark surroundings with a critical eye. “How many?” he whispered. 

“A few thousand maybe?” 

Silence.

Warriors huffed and placed his sword back in his sheath. “Stop messing with us! This is a serious situa-oof” 

_HISSSSSSSSS_

“AHHHHHHHHH”

“What is that?!”

“WILD GET IT OFF ME”

“Wind stop screaming you’re making it angry!”

The veteran let out a tired sigh and turned to the only one of his companions not freaking out.

“Roolie, are you sure we have enough potions?”

* * *

Sky smiled and enjoyed the warm sun. They were currently in Legend’s world, and he had to admit the resemblance to Hyrule’s was striking. There were some obvious differences of course; this world felt a lot healthier than their traveler’s, but overall both had many of the same creatures and, ah, _dangers_.

Namely: everything. 

_Well, almost everything,_ Sky thought as he caught sight of two adorable eyes staring at him from the treeline. The koala blinked back at him and his heart began to melt. They had seen a few of these animals in Hyrule’s lands, and had even managed to pet one. That had been a good day. 

“Hey there little one.” He cooed upwards, reaching out his hand. “Come here buddy, I’m not going to-AHHHHHH!”

His shriek caused eight sets of heads to snap in his direction before the loud clamour of drawn weapons filled the clearing. 

Twilight was the first to reach the source of the cry and stopped for a second to stare. Sky was pinned onto his back, kicking and wrestling with...a koala? Why would he be- _dear Hylia that koala has canines!_

The ‘koala’ had dug it’s long claws into the fabric of Sky’s clothes as it’s pointed teeth snapped blindly at his neck. Twilight noticed Sky’s grip holding the monster back begin to falter as it thrashed wildly, but before he could intervene a blur of red raced past him. 

Legend aimed a brutal kick at the creature, sending it flying off of Sky and knocking it prone into the trunk of a tree. It recovered almost instantly and sent a frothy snarl in their direction. But instead of pouncing again, it turned and began clambering back up to the canopy above.

“Oh no you don’t.” The veteran growled before he lunged with practiced precision. The tip of his sword pierced the creatures exposed back just a second before it would have climbed out of reach.

“What was that?!” Sky asked, still panting heavily from the attack. Twilight was relieved to see that the monster’s claws hadn’t been able to pierce his chainmail, though his outer clothes were completely shredded.

Legend slowly turned to them, a smug satisfaction in his expression as he took in their pale and shocked features. 

“That- _”_ he began, staring Hyrule dead in the eyes. “-was a _drop bear_.”

 _Yes,_ Twilight thought as his heart raced in his ears, _this truly is the worst timeline._

**Author's Note:**

> If you don't know the drop bear folktale: it's terrifying.
> 
> Thank you so much everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
